Assisting a Believer in his Needs

“The Imam said to me, ‘O Mufaddal, listen to what I say to you. Bear in mind that it is the truth. Do it and inform ‘Ilyat, of your brothers (in belief).’ I asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, what is (Tlyah) of my brothers (in belief)?’ The Imam said, ‘All those interested in helping their brothers (in belief).’ The narrator has said that the Imam then said, ‘Whoever makes one wish of his brother (in belief) come true Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, on the Day of Judgment will make one thousand of his wishes come true of which one is his admission in paradise, as well as his relatives, those whom he knows and his brothers will be admitted into paradise, provided, they are not against belief in Walayah (Divine Authority) of ‘A ’immah. Whenever al-Mufaddal would ask for help from any of his brothers (in belief) he would ask, ‘Do you not wish to be a ’Ilyah (brothers in belief) interested in helping believers?”’

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has created a creature among His creatures. He has chosen to make the wishes of the poor people of the Shi’a come true so that for such good deed they can be counted among those who deserve paradise. Try to be one of them, if you succeeded, so be it.’ The Imam then said, ‘For us, by Allah, is the Lord. We worship Him and do not consider anything equal to him.’”

“Helping to meet the needs of a believer is better than setting free one thousand slaves and better than donating one thousand horses loaded (with good) in the way of Allah.’’ Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Muhammad ibn Ziyad a Hadith similar to the two above Ahadith.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘To help meet the needs of a believing man is more beloved to Allah than twenty Hajj for which one spends one hundred thousand.’”

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, is a believer a blessing for believers?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, he is.’ I then asked, ‘How is he as such?’ The Imam said, ‘A believer who may come to his brother (in belief) for help, in fact, is a blessing from Allah whom He has lead to him and has made him a means of blessings for him. If he makes his wish come true he accepts the blessing through his help and if he refuses to help while capable to help he, in fact, has repulsed from himself blessings that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, had lead to him and had made him (believer) a means for his receiving rewards. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, preserves that blessing to the Day of Judgment so that the needy believer who had faced refusal may decide about it. He may avail it for himself or someone else. O Isma’il, on the Day of Judgment when he will be the judge for the blessing from Allah that is appropriated to him to who do you think he will make it available?’ I said, ‘I do not think he will turn it away from himself.’ The Imam said, ‘Do you not think? Be certain that he will not turn it away from himself. O ’Isma’il, if a believer comes to his brother (in belief) for help and he refuses to help, despite being able to help, in his grave Allah will raise a snake to keep biting his thumb to the Day of Judgment wherein he may be forgiven or made to suffer torments.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘One who performs Tawaf (walking seven times around the Ka’ba for worship) Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will write for him six thousand good deeds, delete his six thousand sins, and will raise him six thousand degrees in meritorious status.’ The narrator has said that Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar has added, ‘His six thousand wishes will be made to come true’. “The narrator has said that The Imam said, ‘To help the wish of a believer come true is better then a Tawaf, and Tawaf. . . . (walking seven times around the Ka’ba for worship), repeating it ten times.’”

“Whenever a Muslim helps make the wish of a Muslim to come true, Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, says, ‘With Me is your reward and I will not agree to allow it to be less than paradise.’”

“Whoever performs a single Tawaf (walking seven times around the Ka’ba for worship) of this House Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, writes down for him six thousand good deeds, deletes his six thousand sins, and raises him six thousand degrees in meritorious status until he reaches al-Multazam (a part of Ka’ba) Allah then opens seven doors of paradise for him.’ I then asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, all these rewards just for one Tawaf (walking seven times around the Ka’ba for worship)?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, and I can tell you something better than this and that is helping the wish of a Muslim to come true. It is better than a Tawaf, a Tawaf. . . . (walking seven times around the Ka’ba for worship), the Imam repeated ten times.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Whoever walks to help make the wish of his believing brother (in belief) come true, seeking thereby the reward for it with Allah until he makes it happen, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, writes down for him a reward equal to the reward for performing Hajj and ‘Umrah that are of virtuous deeds, fasting for two of the sacred months while spending this time in the Sacred Mosque performing ‘I’tikaf (a certain form of worship), and if one walks with the intention to help, but does not make it come true, Allah still writes down for him the reward for one Hajj that is accepted. Therefore, be interested in good deeds.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Compete in al-Ma’ruf doing good to your brothers (in belief) and be of such people; in paradise there is a door called al-Ma’ruf through which no one can enter except those who have performed al-Ma’ruf (a virtuous deed) in the worldly life. If a servant (of Allah) walks to help his believing brother (in belief), Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, appoints two angels one from the right and one from the left to ask forgiveness for him from his Lord and pray for his wish to come true.’ The Imam then said, ‘By Allah, the Messenger of Allah becomes happier for the coming true of the wish of the needy believer than the needy believer himself.’”

“By Allah, performing one Hajj is more beloved to me than setting free of ten slaves and up to seventy slaves. If I look after a Muslim family, satisfy their hunger and clothe them to safeguard their dignity among the people it is more beloved to me than to perform Hajj ten times and so on up to seventy Hajj.”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, sent revelations to Moses that said, ‘Of My servant there are those who perform a good deed seeking thereby nearness to Me and I help him to rule in paradise.’ Moses then asked, ‘Lord, what is that good deed?’ Allah said, ‘He walks with his brother (in belief) to help his wish come true, whether it then comes true or not. ’”

“I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.) saying, ‘To whomever his believing brother (in belief) comes for help, in fact, it is a blessing from Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, that He has lead to him. If he accepts that blessing he has connected his guardianship with our guardianship ( al - Walayah ) that is connected to the guardianship of Allah. If he refuses to help when he is able to help, Allah assigns a snake from fire to keep biting him in his grave until the Day of Judgment wherein he will be forgiven or made to suffer torment. If in such case (in need of help) the needy accepts his excuse it will be much worse for him.’”

“A believer may find his brother (in belief) needy in a certain matter that is not available to him and he intends in his heart to meet such need, Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, admits him in paradise just because of his intention.”